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It's a real surprise to find this one on a good label, considering how much it sounds like a demo, but there's something interesting about Guatemala's Dread The Forsaken, a band playing odd Prog Metal that unites the vocal lines of modern Iron Maiden, the riffs of early Queensryche, and, wait for it, the 'modern approach' of Disturbed and Killswitch Engage. Now, that's what they claim on their press release, but there are hardly any elements of this ghastly notion present in their Unbound debut, except the riffs do get stuck in that chug-a-chug mode so many of these bands prefer over well-thought out riff patterns, and the choruses have a punky, almost anthemic nature that yes, fans of Disturbed will probably find agreeable. Vocally Gordon Tittsworth (except for having a hilariously anti-rock star name) has a strong Blaze Bayley-esque voice that makes me think of Virtual XI when I listen to this.

Production is awful, all fuzzy guitars and cardboard-box percussion, but songs like "Walk With Me" and "Give Me My Wounds" are quality metal cuts, full of galloping riffs and the right attitude. It's an obvious first recording, but you should be able to look beyond that if you're in the mood for something old with an original twist. Mediocre in essence, but there is something attractive about Unbound. Dread The Forsaken could, given a better production, make a minor splash in the scene.